Pharmacists have cautioned Nigerians against taking painkillers for every ache or pain, stating that some pains may resolve with rest and other non-drug measures without medication.
They explained that pain varies according to its severity, location, duration and cause, stressing that sudden, unexplained or persistent pain could be a warning sign of an underlying health condition requiring medical evaluation.
The pharmacists also warned that frequent or irrational use of painkillers could expose users to avoidable complications involving the liver, kidneys and stomach, while exceeding the recommended dose could increase the risk of toxicity.
The warning comes amid evidence of widespread self-medication in Nigeria, with analgesics among the medicines commonly used without professional advice.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, Chioma Omattah, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Welnex Pharmacy, Lagos, said pain could be acute or chronic and that not every form would require medication.
“Not every pain requires painkillers. There are different types of pain. You could have acute pains; you could have chronic pains,” Omattah stated.
She explained that acute pain could occur for a short period, including after strenuous or unusual physical activity, and might improve with rest.
According to her, someone who developed pain after lifting a heavy object or climbing several flights of stairs despite being unaccustomed to the activity could initially manage the discomfort with rest and other appropriate measures.
She, however, advised people to pay attention to pain that could not be linked to an obvious activity or injury, particularly shooting or radiating pain.
“When the pain is something that you can’t trace how it started, those ones are the ones you might begin to be concerned about, and maybe the sign of an underlying illness,” she stated.
Omattah cautioned that repeatedly taking painkillers without identifying the source of pain could temporarily suppress symptoms while an underlying condition continued to develop.
“Frequent use can actually be very risky and inimical to the individual using it. When you don’t relieve the cause of the pain and the next thing is to pop a painkiller, you may be masking the symptom of a very serious underlying health condition,” she stated.
She noted that irrational use of analgesics could also affect vital organs, particularly the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract.
Omattah identified paracetamol, ibuprofen and diclofenac among commonly used painkillers, noting that their availability did not make them suitable for indiscriminate use.
She particularly warned against increasing the number of tablets taken simply because the recommended dose failed to relieve the pain.
The pharmacist explained that failure of a painkiller to provide relief could mean that the medicine was not appropriate for the condition or that another underlying cause needed to be investigated.
“If I take two pills of paracetamol, it doesn’t work for me; my body, I have to take three, I have to take four. They are gradually damaging their liver,” she stated.
She advised Nigerians not to exceed the recommended dose of any painkiller, stressing that doing so could increase the risk of adverse effects and organ damage.
Omattah further cautioned pregnant women, children, older adults and people living with conditions such as asthma, stomach ulcers, kidney disease and heart problems to seek professional advice before taking painkillers.
“Before taking a painkiller, they must seek advice; they must consult with their pharmacist to know if that painkiller is safe for them to use, given their present medical condition,” she stated.
She also advised people whose pain persisted despite treatment to seek medical evaluation rather than continuing to increase their dosage.
“When you’re taking some painkillers, and you’re not getting better, it’s best to see a physician for further evaluation,” Omattah stated.
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of 91 studies involving 37,359 Nigerians found that 67.8 per cent of participants practised self-medication. The review identified antibiotics as the most commonly self-medicated medicines, followed by analgesics and antimalarials, with perceived minor illness, previous treatment experience, financial barriers, time constraints and easy access to medicines among the major drivers.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned that self-medication could result in incorrect self-diagnosis, inappropriate choice of treatment, excessive or inadequate dosage, prolonged use and failure to recognise contraindications.
NAFDAC has also warned that although paracetamol is generally safe when taken as directed, excessive use can cause poisoning and serious liver damage. The agency states that paracetamol poisoning results from excessive intake above the recommended dose.
The World Health Organisation, in its guidance on chronic primary low back pain, says treatment should be tailored to the nature of the pain and that painkillers should not be the first-line treatment for low back pain. WHO recommends approaches including physical activity, exercise and other non-drug interventions, with medicines used where appropriate.
Also speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, Pharm. Jonah Okotie, Superintendent Pharmacist at Engraced Pharmacy, Idimu, Lagos State, said the location, severity and possible trigger of pain should be considered before deciding on treatment.
He explained that mild pain resulting from a minor injury could be observed, particularly where there was no serious injury, but sudden pain without an identifiable trigger required greater attention.
“Pain is information indicating something is happening. If it’s from a mild blow or slight accident, it may be observed, especially if there’s no scratch. But sudden pain without a trigger should not be trifled with,” Okotie stated.
He warned that frequent use of painkillers exposes the body to unnecessary medication and its potential adverse effects, stressing that analgesics should not be treated like nutritional supplements.
“You are exposing your body to unnecessary medicine, including its side effects. And frequently putting your organs at risk. Painkillers are not multivitamins or supplements you can take every day; they are medications used only when needed,” he stated.
Okotie explained that excessive use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could irritate the stomach lining and predispose users to gastric ulcers, while excessive paracetamol use could cause liver damage.
He also warned against taking different brands of painkillers together without professional guidance, noting that people could unknowingly consume several medicines belonging to the same class.
The pharmacist recalled an instance in which a person was given different brands of ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by an informal medicine seller.
“That is definitely an overload for the kidneys, for the liver and even for the stomach, and that’s why you’ll find people just suddenly begin to develop organ problems without knowing where this could have come from,” he stated.
Okotie noted that different medicines have different dosing intervals and that patients should not independently increase their doses when pain persists.
“There is an allowance for doses to be increased, but in doing that, you need the experts’ opinion,” he stated.
He urged pregnant women, children and older adults, as well as people with kidney, liver or stomach conditions, to exercise particular caution with painkillers and seek professional advice before using them.
Okotie also warned that persistent pain should not be managed indefinitely with analgesics, noting that the underlying cause needed to be established.
“If you are taking medication and you don’t feel relief, then please go ahead and consult your doctor for a review,” he stated.
He particularly advised people experiencing unexplained chest pain, severe abdominal pain, groin pain or other sudden symptoms to seek prompt medical assessment.
“Pain in some parts of your body is not normal, so one of the ones I want to emphasise particularly is the area of chest pain,” Okotie stated.
Persistent or unexplained pain therefore warrants proper medical assessment rather than repeated use of painkillers, as identifying the cause is essential to ensuring appropriate treatment.
